might easily be converted to our religion. They wander about from place
to place, subsisting entirely by fishing, for which they have stated
seasons. The country is warmer even than Spain, and exceedingly
pleasant, being entirely level, and though sandy, it is everywhere
covered with trees. In some places where there are no trees, it is
luxuriantly covered with wild corn or pease. The corn resembles oats,
but with an ear like that of rye; and the pease are small, but as thick
as if the ground had been ploughed and sown. It produces, likewise,
white and red gooseberries, strawberries, blackberries, white and red
roses, and many other sweet-smelling flowers. The whole country is
interspersed with fine grass meadows, and lakes abounding in salmon. In
their language, a hatchet is named _cochi_ and a knife _bacon_. We named
this fine bay, _Baye de Chaleur_, or the Warm Bay[34].

[Footnote 34: Chaleur Bay on the north-eastern coast of Nova Scotia is
probably meant; though, from the changes of names, we have not been able
to trace the course of Cartier from the northern extremity of
Newfoundland to this part of the Gulf of St Lawrence. He probably
returned to the south, along the eastern coast of Newfoundland, and then
sailed west, along the south coast of that island into the Gulf of St
Lawrence, probably in search of a passage to the Pacific.--E.]

Having ascertained that there was no passage through this bay, we
set sail from St Martins Creek on Sunday the 12th July, to proceed on
farther discoveries beyond, going eastwards about 18 leagues along the
coast, till we came to Cape _Prato_, where we found shallow water, with
a great tide and stormy sea, so that we had to draw close in shore,
between that cape and an island about a league to the eastwards, where
we cast anchor for the night. Next morning we made sail to explore the
coast to the N.N.E. But the wind, which was contrary, rose almost to a